...story to keep them engaged and interested enough to follow through can be quite a challenge. To help out, we thought we’d share this list of creative and unique children’s books by celebrities!
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As I sit and write this, I can hear my cat out on the open balcony, playing with leaves. He is pouncing and chasing. I can hear the patter of his feet and the rustling of the leaves as he attacks and bats at them. The fall light streams in through the window in a golden glow and the air smells of cinnamon and pine. My kids are at school and I sit hear and sip coffee, researching ideas and writing to you. If you are an aunt, a sister or brother, a lover of art, a fan of quirky…
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In Calgary, there is a yearly event called “Beakerhead” which they proclaim is “A Smash Up of Art, Science, & Engineering”. I was only able to go for a few hours during the day and, even without the lights on the impressive displays lit up, it was really cool. I went while my kids were at school but next year I plan on taking them on a tour of the displays. Since I only had one day free, my friend and I focused on seeing the Chain Reaction pieces. We managed to see a few, in between stops to shop…
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Good morning! I hope your last week was as busy but as fantastic as mine was. Now I just need a week entirely alone to curl up and process it all. (Seriously). The beginning of the week was the long weekend, but our week really kicked off for us on Wednesday, when we got to see Fred Penner live. Amazing Canadian children’s singer that I grew up watching. He is from Winnipeg, Manitoba and has a list of hits that include “The Cat Came Back” and “Sandwiches”. Fred Penner used to be a part of my day when I…
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Was it just me or did the weekend zoom past???? Happy Monday, everyone! This weekend we sent the kids off to a play-date and together, my husband and I, put together an IKEA loft bed for Isabella. It’s funny how the smallest changes make the biggest difference. We changed out her bed (one half of a bunk bed that could be built separate from each other or kept as one piece), and put in a loft bed. Izzy doesn’t play with a ton of toys anymore. She has her favourites and they fit in a couple small bins. Her real…
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When I was a child I read a lot of books about the past. I obsessed over Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables. My dresses from that time are a direct reflection of my tastes in literature. One is a brown dress with a peter pan collar and a small pattern of white flowers and small green leaves. It has long sleeves and goes well past the knee. I could have walked off the set of Little House on the Prairie or Road to Avonlea. I longed to live on a farm, washing my clothes on…
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Inspire Transformation is a weight loss book. You’re going to be disappointed when you read this book, if you expect to be told exactly what to do. Naomi Teeter (of MindBodyGreen fame) lost 125 lbs and has kept the weight off for five years. That’s a whole lot of years people. Her weight loss book is going to be a let-down for those of you who have given up on yourself and now you want an “easy out”. If you want to open up a book and see that all you need to do is eat three egg…
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For kids that have trouble with anxiety, nervousness in crowds, or are quick to react emotionally, there is nothing better than a good book for them to gain perspective. Here are some that I have read to my kids that have struck a chord and opened up discussion. They teach coping skills to help kids bounce back from their problems on their own, so that they will be more resilient in the future. Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell. Both Molly Lou Melon books that Patty Lovell has published are amazing. They are all about being yourself in the face…
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My daughter is learning to read and is busy reading EVERYTHING. Packages, sign posts, lost posters, books, brand names…she sees, she reads. Yesterday she asked me what the word ‘bounding’ meant. The snow leopard went bounding through the snow. She wanted to know how to do that too. It makes my brain work in new and wonderful ways to explain words that I know the meaning of and take for granted. I find myself reaching far in my brain to bring out words that she will understand. Sometimes defining one word leads me to defining five more words within…
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This book is amazing. Some have described it as a “nergasm” and it’s a perfect description. It’s a post-apocalyptic world and we on Earth have used up our non-renewable resources. Jobs are scarce and the poor get poorer as the rich get richer. Many live in “the stacks”, which is a terrifying mess of trailers in the trailer park stacked one on top of the other to conserve energy and space. Everyone spends all their time in the larger than life game-world of The Oasis, rather than in their depressing real world spaces. When the creator of The…